Creative Process

The barn swallows built a nest above my studio door. They usually build one somewhere along the roofline, but often on the back side where I can’t so easily see it.

For weeks I heard them working as I worked, chittering to each other as they took turns resting on the curved stem of a steel lamp. I’d catch glimpses of them after a morning rain scooping up mouthfuls of mud to do their chinking. One day, once the nest was complete, I saw the boy pick up a down feather recently preened from one of our ducks and give it to the girl to line the nest: Hi honey; I brought you a comforter. 

[Read more…] about Just Imagine

I recently wrote about making the leap and Master Plans. About that plan. Some of you have one, and if you do, that’s great. But if you don’t, it’s easy to get sucked into the notion that you should. It somehow signifies that you’ve got your proverbial crap together, whether it’s your creative work, a small business, a career path, or just life in general.

[Read more…] about Coulds, Shoulds, and Master Plans

This past weekend I had the pleasure of hosting an art show. I invited three artists to share their work in my studio: 

[Read more…] about Let Them

I was talking to a friend the other day. Her voice was filled with a mixture of emotions I couldn’t quite name. I’m usually pretty good at sussing out subtleties – Alan will often hand me a freshly opened beer for the inaugural sip. I don’t drink it, I just describe it: pine with notes of lemon rind and just a hint of clove. I’ll pass it back and he’ll nod knowingly and take a sip. 

[Read more…] about Making The Leap

I’ve been working on a new series lately. My studio is strewn with sawdust trails and brass shrapnel. Artistic puzzle pieces had begun to connect in small clumps, but until last week, not much was done. After all that time of wandering and experimenting, I still hadn’t finished anything yet.

[Read more…] about Two Halves Don’t Make A Whole

The topic of self care has been fairly ubiquitous on the internet lately. You’ve been inundated with it, but what does it actually mean and what does it have to do with creativity? 

[Read more…] about Fight, Flight, or Fret